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Writer's pictureKaeli Bartholomew

10 Facts About Man o' War


Man o' War after the Belmont Futurity with Johnny Loftus up. 9.13.19. This image is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in print or electronically without written permission of the Keeneland Library.

1.) Man o' War has four full siblings: My Play, Playfellow, Masda, and Mirabella. Man o' War's dam, Mahubah, was bred only five times and all five breedings were to the stallion Fair Play.

2.) It is estimated that 1.5 million people went to Faraway Farm to visit Man o' War during his retirement.

3.) Man o' War appears twenty-two times in American Pharoah's pedigree.

4.) Man o' War's funeral was broadcasted live on NBC Radio. Nine eulogies were given and both the United States and Japanese Calvary gave Man o' War military honors.

5.) The 1938 match race between War Admiral and Seabiscuit had a special connection to Man o' War: he was the sire of War Admiral and the paternal grandsire of Seabiscuit (by Hard Tack).

6.) Man o' War was an incredibly successful sire. From his male line came horses such as Tiznow, Tourist, Desert Vixon, Seattle Slew, Buckpasser, Dr.Fager, Raise A Native, and Skywalker. From his female line came Stymie, Kelso, Sword Dancer, and more.

7.) Man o' War's best friend was a retired show horse named Major Treat. The two had adjacent stalls and traveled together throughout Man o' War's racing career and into retirement.

8.) In retirement, Man o' War developed a strong relationship with his groom Will Harbut. Harbut and Man o' War died just a month apart and some people speculate that the grief from losing Harbut caused Man o' War to pass away.

9.) Man o' War is currently buried at The Kentucky Horse Park. War Admiral, his greatest son, is buried just below him.

10.) Man o' War was defeated only once in his twenty-one race career, losing by a nose to the aptly named Upset.

 

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Sources: Man o' War Wikipedia Racing Museum Equus Magazine


3,388 views3 comments

3 Comments


#10 should have never happened. If it was a fair start, he would have won.

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Sandra Kozioł
Sandra Kozioł
Apr 28, 2019

One of my favourites! Really unstoppable. Eclipse was a father of all race horses, but there is not much info about him, his life and so on. I usually think I prefer Man o' War to be called this tittle.

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Moses Gomez
Moses Gomez
Apr 24, 2022
Replying to

Oh please . Bleeding heart .

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